Nannette J. Beacham
Economic Development Director
City of Richmond
February 1, 2026
Email Contract:
CIVIC CENTER APARTMENTS
ARTIST OUTREACH
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
ARTIST OUTREACH REQUEST
Civic Center Apartments is a 49-unit acquisition and rehabilitation project with 48 studios serving households with incomes at 30 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) or below, with 1 one -bedroom manager’s unit.
To satisfy its public art obligation to the City of Richmond, Novin Development Corporation has elected to provide publicly accessible art on the site.
Mural and/or metal fabrication will be executed in materials to be determined but will likely include translating two-dimensional art into stainless steel, aluminum, bronze, glass, glass tile, ceramic tile and/or other materials. An approved fabricator would then execute the chosen artwork design in the identified medium(s) for specific locations at the site.
Therefore, an artist’s prior experience with these materials, or lack thereof, will not be taken into consideration when reviewing images.
Short-listed artists will be invited to respond to a Request for Proposals and will be paid an honorarium for creating site-specific designs for the project. Finalists will be contracted to deliver designs or finished artwork and must be available during the fabrication and installation of the artwork with project management by the Novin Construction Team.
SITE NARRATIVE
Civic Center Apartments is located on 24th Street in Richmond’s central business district.
The site is near the Richmond Farmer’s Market, the Richmond Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center, and the Public Library. The surrounding area is primarily residential with single-family homes.
The Nevin Plaza community provides housing for low-income individuals. Elderly and disabled residents of Richmond and Nevin Plaza are served by the Richmond Housing Authority at Nevin Plaza. The Richmond Senior Center is within one block.
Historically, the broader Richmond community is known for celebrating its important role as a ship-building center during WWII; and Rosie the Riveter, an allegorical figure honoring American women's labor during WWII. The Richmond Art Center and East Bay Center for the Performing Arts are also important cultural hubs. Geographic highlights include Point Isabel Regional Shoreline Park, and the city’s proximity to the Bay Trail, among many other natural features. Ookwe Park in downtown Richmond was created to honor the Ohlone tribe’s legacy in the area.
Major themes that connect the community include a commitment to diversity, and to hope and compassion. The variety of formal and informal community groups in and around Richmond all contribute to the vibrancy, vitality and equity apparent in daily interactions of the Nevin Plaza community.
The City of Richmond reiterates in their master plan its commitment to investing in residents to build a healthy community and a strong future employment base. The Public Art Program is meant to enrich the quality of life for the City’s residents by:
• enlivening and beautifying the City environment.
• creating community pride for City residents.
• encouraging and promoting awareness of the City’s rich ethnic, social, and cultural diversity.
• creating a diverse and stimulating cultural environment for citizens of, and visitors to, the City.
• promoting greater economic vitality through the aesthetic enhancement of the City’s public spaces, thereby making Richmond a more attractive environment for regional and local businesses.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Electronic Proposals shall be submitted via the City’s secure online bidding system. All required sections of the proposal must be submitted via the website. Respondent is solely responsible for “on time” submission of their electronic proposal. The Bid Management System will not accept late proposals and no exceptions shall be made. Respondents will receive an e-bid confirmation number with a time stamp from the Bid Management System indicating that their proposal was submitted successfully. The City will only receive those proposals that were transmitted successfully. The proposal must be received no later than 3:00 p.m., local time, on March 3, 2026.
Any party submitting a proposal shall not contact or lobby any City Council member, City official, employee (except those for contact) or agent regarding the RFP . Any party attempting to influence or circumvent the RFP , bid submittal, and review process shall have their proposal rejected for violating this provision of the RFP .
If there are any questions, please submit questions via the bid online portal by 3:00 pm, local time, February 13, 2025.
Interested parties may download copies of the abovementioned proposal by visiting the City's web site, www.ci.richmond.ca.us/bids. To download the RFP , new Respondents will be required to register. Once the Respondent downloads any documents relative to a solicitation, that Respondent's name will appear on the Prospective Bidders list for that project and will receive any addenda or notifications relating to the RFP .
GENERAL GUIDELINES
This RFP/RFP does not commit the City of Richmond to award a contract, to defray any costs incurred in the preparation of a proposal pursuant to this RFP , or to procure or contract for work. The City of Richmond may reject a proposal without providing the reason(s) underlying the declination. A failure to award a contract to the proposer with the lowest cost proposal shall not constitute a valid cause of action against the City of Richmond. The City shall not be responsible for work done, even in good faith, prior to final approval of the proposed contract. The City may investigate the qualifications of any respondent under consideration, require confirmation of information furnished by the respondent, and require additional evidence or qualifications to perform the Services described in this RFP .
The City reserves the right to:
• Reject any or all proposals.
• Issue subsequent Requests for Proposal.
• Postpone opening for its own convenience
• Remedy technical errors in the Request for Proposal process. • Negotiate with any, all, or none of the Respondents.
• Solicit best and final offers from all or some of the Respondents. • Select one of more Respondents.
• Accept other than the lowest proposed fees.
• Waive informalities and irregularities in proposals.
PUBLIC RECORDS
All proposals submitted in response to this RFP/RFP become the property of the City of Richmond and public records and, as such, may be subject to public review. Documents protected by law from public disclosure will not be disclosed by the City of Richmond if clearly marked with the word "confidential" on each applicable page. Trade secrets may be marked as confidential only to the extent they meet the requirements of California Government Code section 6254.7. Only information claimed to be a trade secret at the time of submittal to the City of Richmond and marked as "confidential" will be treated as a trade secret.
SUBMISSION CRITERIA
Please submit to PlanetBids:
• Up to twenty (20) images of previous work
• Bio/CV
• Brief Artist Statement (500 words or Less) describing how your work would address the site narrative or connect with the community in a meaningful way.
SELECTION CRITERIA
Proposals will be reviewed by staff, Richmond Arts and Culture Commissioners, community partners, and other relevant parties. The Richmond Arts and Culture Commission (RACC) will select the proposal and approve the final recommendation.
Existing Conditions/Additional Images